Broadcasting Act 1981

16 General advisory council and specialist advisory committees etc.

(1) The Authority may appoint, or arrange for the assistance of, advisory committees to give advice to the Authority and programme contractors on such matters as the Authority may determine; and a general advisory council may be appointed under this subsection.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the Authority shall in particular appoint, or arrange for the assistance of, the following committees, namely—

(a) a committee representative of the main streams of religious thought in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, to give advice to the Authority as to the exercise of their functions in relation to any such items as are mentioned in section 4(5)(a), and on any other matters of a religious nature included in the programmes broadcast by the Authority, or in any publications issued by the Authority ;

(b) a committee so constituted as to be representative of both—

(i) organisations, authorities and persons concerned with standards of conduct in the advertising of goods and services (including in particular the advertising of goods or services for medical or surgical purposes), and

(ii) the public as consumers,

to give advice to the Authority with a view to the exclusion of misleading advertisements from the programmes broadcast by the Authority, and otherwise as to the principles to be followed in connection with the advertisements included in such programmes or in any publications issued by the Authority ; and

(c) a committee consisting of persons who have, or are representative of authorities or organisations who have, special interest and experience in education, to give advice to the Authority, and in particular advice on the policy for, and planning of, broadcasts intended for reception by schools and other educational establishments.

(3) The functions of the committee referred to in subsection (2)(b) of this section shall include the duty of keeping under review the code under section 9 and submitting to the Authority recommendations as to any alterations which appear to them to be desirable.

(4) Before appointing a person to be the chairman of the committee referred to in subsection (2)(b) of this section, the Authority shall satisfy themselves that that person—

(a) will have no financial or other interest in any advertising agency, and

(b) will have no such other financial or other interest in advertising as is in the opinion of the Authority likely to prejudice his independence as chairman ;

and the Authority shall also satisfy themselves from time to time that the chairman of that committee has no such interest as is described in paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection.

(5) The Authority shall, after consultation with such professional organisations as the Secretary of State may require and such other bodies or persons as the Authority think fit, appoint, or arrange for the assistance of, a medical advisory panel to give advice to the Authority as to—

(a) advertisements for medicines and medical and surgical treatments and appliances,

(b) advertisements for toilet products which include claims as to the therapeutic or prophylactic effects of the products,

(c) advertisements for medicines and medical and surgical treatments for veterinary purposes,

and such other advertisements as the Authority may think fit to refer to the panel.

(6) The Authority shall consult the panel before drawing up the code under section 9 and in the course of any review of that code.

(7) The Authority shall ensure that, before the first occasion on which they broadcast an advertisement which in their opinion falls under paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection (5) of this section, the advertisement is, in accordance with arrangements approved by the Authority, referred to a member or members of the panel for advice.